


Talk Tonight.

by HAT123



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Coming of Age, First Meetings, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Homosexuality, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Male Friendship, Slow Burn, Teen Romance, Teenage Rebellion, teenage elio and oliver
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-29 15:49:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HAT123/pseuds/HAT123
Summary: Slow burn. Sixteen year old, Oliver Rosenberg is sent away to live miles away with his Aunt and Uncle in the Missouri countryside after being caught with another boy. Oliver soon finds that between trying to avoid his uncle and the sweltering hot sun, there isn't much to do in town. He meets Elio Perlman who is spending an equally boring summer in the same town while his father works. The pair bond and strike a sweet friendship which soon blossoms into something much more than that, though they have to keep their relationship a secret from Oliver's family and deal with the fact that summer can't last forever.





	1. one.

Oliver Rosenberg's life had changed so dramatically over the last few weeks that even he couldn't recall everything. School was over for the summer and Oliver had planned to make the most of it. At school Oliver was known for being both sporty but also incredibly intelligent, though the teacher's often wished that Oliver focused on his academic life more than his social life. He was popular, invited to every party in town and yet he was also so incredibly charming that all the parents in town had fallen for his charms. Oliver had dated plenty of girls but deep down he knew that wasn't what he wanted. Oliver was gay and up until this point in his life he'd done a great job at hiding it. He and another boy from the football team had hooked up at a party when they were both completely wasted and from that point onward the pair of them hooked up regularly, up until now of course. Oliver's father had caught them making out in Oliver's bedroom when he came home from work early and proceeded to beat Oliver senseless for what he saw. That was how Oliver's life changed. He was still lay doubled over on his bedroom floor, blood leaking from his mouth and nose, when his father came back into the room and proceeded to tell Oliver to pack his things.

Oliver was sent away to live with his aunt and uncle who owned a farmhouse in Missouri, miles away from Oliver's home in Boston. When he arrived at the farm house, his body ached and he was littered in bruises, though he didn't argue when his father forced him to carry his heavy suitcase up to his new bedroom, which was in the attic of the farmhouse. He dropped his case on the rather uncomfortable looking single bed and let out a long sigh. He'd been so careful for months and now his life was ruined. Tiredly, Oliver surveyed the dark room, there was a light bulb hanging low from the ceiling in the middle of the room and

Oliver made a mental note to be careful not to bang his head. The ceiling itself had long wooden beams holding up the fixtures of the house. The walls weren't wallpapered or even plastered, the cold looking brick exposed instead and Oliver figured he was lucky to be staying there during the summer months otherwise he'd freeze at night. The floor was hardwood, with a few cracks, making the old house creak even more. The furniture in the room was very sparse; just the bed, a stool acting as a bedside table with a gas lamp on it, a rag rug in the centre of the room, a small oak wood dresser with a broken drawer or two, a bookcase with a copy of the Tanakh and an ever older copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and a desk and chair with some paper and a pen on top. The room had a two windows, one either end of the room. Both were circular and only opened partially, letting in barely any air. Oliver opened the one that was above his bed, yawning softly. He was going to hate it here, he just knew it. Though luckily for him the farm wasn't a working one, the only animals there being a handful of chickens, two cats to keep any mice at bay and an old graying bloodhound that had gone deaf in old age and was practically a pointless guard dog now but Oliver's aunt had refused to replace him. 

Oliver ran his hand over the stool beside the bed, pulling a face when he saw how dusty it was. He spent a couple of moments trying to work out how to turn the gas lamp on before he finally figured it out and set it back down on the stool. He didn't want to go back downstairs, it was late and his father was staying the night in the guest bedroom before he tackled the long drive home tomorrow. He knew his father and his uncle would be drinking well into the morning together. He began to unpack his clothes, packing them away in the dusty dresser. He'd brought a few books with him and placed them on the bookcase and set a picture of his family, that he'd brought from home, on the desk. He figured this would make the place more home-like. After he had unpacked, Oliver pushed the case under the bed before lazily flopping down onto the bed, letting out a soft groan as his aching body hit the hard mattress. He lay with his bed buried into the pillows for a few moments, sighing deeply as he wondered if his father had told his aunt and uncle the real reason he'd been sent away for the summer. It didn't take long for Oliver to eventually drift off to sleep, he was so exhausted, both mentally and psychically drained. 

When morning came, Oliver was awoken by the sound of his father bellowing his name and he couldn't help but wince at the sound. He took a moment or two to let his swollen, bruised eyes adjust to the sunlight peering in through the windows and finally got up. He'd fallen asleep in yesterday's clothes, including his shoes. Tiredly, he padded downstairs and stood before his father.

"I'm leaving now, boy." His father addressed him, still cold even now as he was abandoning his son with a couple who were practically strangers to Oliver. "Make sure you remember what i said to you in the car." He'd ranted to Oliver on the way there, threatening his son that if he stepped out of line then the consequences would be dyer for him and Oliver had no doubt that his father meant every single word. 

Oliver nodded his head, "I will, don't worry." He mumbled, his voice rough from sleep. He felt his uncle's eyes burning into him from behind and he wished the world would just swollen him up. "Goodbye Dad." 

Oliver watched as his father left, his heart completely broken as he was left. He'd gone from being the son that everyone was proud of to his father's worst enemy in just a few days. He felt sick and his head was pounding as he stood there, feeling abandoned and alone.

As soon as the front door was closed, his uncle, James, turned to him, sneering almost as he looked at the teenager. "Your father tells me that you're a faggot?" he scoffed, "Don't worry we'll have changed that before the summer is up." 

Oliver just nodded knowing deep down that nothing they did would really be able to make him change the way he felt towards men. "Can i go and change?" He asked, finding that it was already overbearingly hot inside the house.

He didn't exactly wait for permission before he was already up the stairs and on the way to his bedroom. He changed into a pair of cargo shorts and a plain blue t-shirt before eventually walking downstairs in hopes of grabbing something for breakfast since he hadn't eaten since breakfast time the day before. 

After eating, Oliver headed outside to explore the land. He entered an old barn, finding one of the farm cats and bending down to stroke it. The cat was ginger with some stripes along its back and a singular white paw. Oliver smiled softly as the cat nuzzled against his hand, clearly like the attention he was getting though eventually the cat went on its way and left Oliver alone once more. 

It wasn't until a few hours later that Oliver's aunt, Stella, called him back into the house before sending him into town with a bicycle and a shopping list, instructing him to pick up the ingredients for dinner. He cycled to the grocery store and grabbed a basket. He didn't mind being sent to run errands, at least this way he wouldn't be cooped up inside the house. 

The strolled along the aisles of the store, trying to figure out where everything was. He stopped by the vegetables and picked up some carrots, setting them in his basket. 

"What happened to your face?" The voice came seemingly out of nowhere and made Oliver jump, he turned to see a thin, curly haired boy, who had a little smile on his face. 

Oliver shrugged a little, "Walked into a door." He lied, wondering why the stranger had approached him. 

"Am I supposed to believe that?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I'm Elio, by the way. You are?" 

"Oliver." Oliver shrugged, biting his lip a little. "Elio? Sounds Italian."

"It is." Elio shrugged a little, "I'm here for the summer while by dad works, this town is one of the oldest or something, i forget. I just think it's a dump." 

"It is." Oliver smiled slightly, "I'm here for the summer too and so far all I've seen is old people."

"Me too, my mom barely lets me leave the house we're staying in because she's afraid I'll get myself into trouble with the people around here." The Italian boy admitted, "I guess it's not good to be the odd jew out around here."

Oliver chuckled softly, "You're Jewish too? Looks like you're not the only one."

Elio's eyes quickly lit up at the thought that he wasn't the only Jewish boy in town. He wondered whether or not he and Oliver would become friends. He sure hoped so, summer in Missouri was proving to be one of the dullest things he had experienced in his fifteen years of life. "Where are you staying?"

"About twenty minutes up the dirt track that leads out of town, my aunt and uncle own the old farm house." 

"There's a lake up that way, I found it a few days ago. The water is so refreshing." Elio spoke softly, looking quite sheepish as he tried to offer his friendship to Oliver. "Maybe we could hang out there sometime? Tomorrow maybe? I could meet you there at noon?" 

Oliver couldn't help but find Elio's eagerness adorable, a little grin appearing on his face as he nodded his head. He knew his family wouldn't be happy with Oliver making friends with a boy but he figured that it wouldn't be so hard to keep things a secret. "Sure, I'll be there." He agreed. He just wanted something to do in the town and swimming was always fun.

When Oliver got home from the store, he helped his aunt prepared dinner before heading back to his bedroom. Tiredly, he flopped down onto his bed and let out a soft groan. He was exhausted from the heat outside and tugged his shirt over his head, throwing it down onto the floor before he let his shorts follow, laying on the bed in just his boxers. The teenager missed home already and he wasn't sure how he was going to survive the whole summer. The only thing giving him even a glimmer of hope was the stranger he'd met in the store and Oliver couldn't help but go to sleep thinking about the boy.


	2. two.

Regardless of him going to sleep thinking about Elio, Oliver woke in the morning unsure whether or not he should actually go to meet him or not. He'd convinced himself that it wasn't worth the trouble that he'd get in if he was found with Elio. Nothing here was familiar for Oliver and he was so desperate for some sort of friend but he knew that being friends with Elio would only bring him trouble. He was snapped from his thoughts by meowing and he looked over towards the stairs, seeing the same cat he'd met in the barn yesterday and smiled a little as it approached him, curling up by Oliver on the bed and nudging him for him to pet him. Oliver took the cat's hint and gently stroked it's ginger fur, a little smile on his face.

"I guess you're the closest thing I'm getting to a friend in this place, huh?" He spoke softly, enjoying the company that the cat was providing him. Despite Oliver's large stature he was just a gentle giant, he hated conflict and was definitely better described as a lover rather than a fighter. 

Oliver spent the morning with the cat, skipping breakfast though he was sure that nobody noticed anyway, and just lazed around. Soon noon approached and Oliver was still torn about heading off to meet Elio, he changed into some shorts and a thin t-shirt since it was still so hot outside and slipped on his running shoes before eventually he left the house in search of Elio,much later than he should've done.

His nerves were building more and more as he got closer and closer to the lake and all Oliver wanted to do was bolt. He was already late and he assumed that Elio would've probably left by now anyway and yet when he got to his destination he could see Elio sat in the shade of a large willow tree, his eyes closed as he relaxed. He wasn't sure whether or not he should disturb the boy and took a step backwards, ready to leave before Elio saw him.

"You're late." Elio spoke, opening his eyes and looking over at Elio. "And rubbish at sneaking around." 

Oliver blushed a little, his heart beating fast as he stood there. He so wanted to spend the afternoon having fun with Elio and yet everything in his mind was holding him back. All the years of hearing his father describe gay's as 'sodomites' and 'sinners' had became so ingrained on Oliver's mind that he was scared to even be seen talking to another boy now. "Sorry, I got a little lost trying to find this place." He shrugged, closing the distance between himself and Elio and sitting down besides him. 

"Where are your swim trunks?" Elio asked, looking down at Oliver's shorts. He himself was wearing dark blue swimming trunks and he had a white shirt folded besides him on the grass. 

"I didn't bring any with me, I figured I could just wear these." Oliver shurgged, suddenly feeling foolish but Elio didn't seem to be too bothered.

He watched as the boy rose to his feet. "Race you to the water." Elio grinned, already running off towards the water while Oliver struggled to take his shoes off. 

"You're a cheat!" Oliver yelled after him, pulling his shirt over his head as he ran after Elio. His t-shirt lay discarded on the grass as he dived into the water besides Elio, his dive becoming more of belly flop as he hit the water and ended up swallowing a mouthful which only made Elio burst out into laughter. 

"Real smooth, cowboy." Elio commented, helping Oliver up onto his feet as he stood in the water, still laughing as Oliver spat out the water he'd almost swallowed. Oliver laughed, wrapping his arms around Elio's waist and tackling him into the water, so they'd both be as drenched as each other. They mock wrestled under the water, coming up for air when Elio splashed Oliver.

It wasn't hard for Oliver to let himself go around Elio, the smaller boy had so easily managed to settle Oliver's nerves without even being aware of it. They messed around in the water until their skin got all pruny and only then did they go back to the shade of the tree, the pair of them laying besides each other and looking up at the sky through the cracks between the tree branches. 

"What's Italy like then?" Oliver asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed between the two of them as they dried off. "What do you do there?"

Elio turned onto his side as Oliver spoke, resting his head on his head as he listened to the older boy. "Stuff like this, I guess. All the local kids go swimming in the lake, or we play volleyball.. by we I mean the other kids." He laughed a little, "I spend most of my time reading or transcribing music. I play piano and guitar." 

"Why transcribe music yourself when google exists? Hasn't everything already been transcribed?" 

Elio rolled his eyes at Oliver's question. "Internet è la morte dell'arte." 

"English please?" Oliver asked, moving to mirror Elio's position, his eyebrow raised in confusion at Elio's words. 

"Internet is the death of art." Elio repeated though this time in English. "I have fun transcribing music. Where's the fun is just googling things? So what are you into then? Judging my those huge muscles I'll say you're an athlete of some sorts?" 

"I play football." Oliver shrugged, "It's not my passion though, it's just something my dad wants me to do." 

"Your dad makes all your decisions for you, does he?" Elio asked, it wasn't a huge jump for him to assume the real reason why Oliver was covered in bruises. Though in response to the question Oliver just shrugged. He didn't want their day to be spoiled by thinking about his father. "Well if it's not your passion then what do you really enjoy?" 

"I guess I haven't figured that out yet." The older boy mumbled, running a hand through his wet hair to stop it from clinging to his forehead. Elio found himself getting lost in Oliver's periwinkle eyes. Elio himself wasn't sure of his sexuality, a stark contrast to Oliver who was sure he was gay and also sure that he was ashamed of it. Elio's parents were complete opposites to Oliver's family, European and liberal, they'd accept Elio no matter what and he was always thankful of that fact. Elio found himself leaning in to kiss Oliver though he soon noticed the look of utter trauma that crossed the blonde boy's face and decided against it, instead grabbing a handful of grass and throwing it at Oliver. 

Oliver's heart sunk when he thought that Elio was going to kiss him, feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions. Elio was attractive, anyone with eyes would have noticed that, from his curls right down to the freckles dotted all over his face, and hanging around with him made Oliver happy, but he knew he couldn't allow anything more than friendship blossom between them. 

Hours went by before the boy's made any move to get up from their spot under the tree and although Oliver knew that he should probably be heading back to the farm, he went with Elio to his house. Elio had insisted that Oliver came back with him once he found out that Oliver hadn't eaten yet that day. 

Elio's house for the summer was so much nicer than the farm, it was like luxury and only then did Oliver realise that Elio came from a very wealthy family. The two boys were greeted by an older Italian lady and Oliver wasn't sure if she was Elio's mom or not, the pair didn't really look related. 

"Ciao Elio!" The lady smiled as Elio kissed her on the cheek, her eyes roaming to Oliver. "Chi è il tuo amico?"

Elio looked back at Oliver as Mafalda asked about him, he couldn't help but smile as he introduced him. "This is Oliver, Oliver this is Mafalda." The taller boy extended his arm out, shaking Mafalda's hand.

While the pair of them exchanged pleasantries, Elio poured himself and Oliver a glass of strawberry lemonade and prepared them both a plate of the pasta Mafalda had made for lunch. He gestured for Oliver to follow him upstairs and led him to his bedroom. It was a typical bedroom in a guest house, nothing too personal of Elio's except a few books. The pair of them sat on the bed, tucking into the food that Mafalda had made. 

"So is Mafalda a relative of yours?" Oliver asked, happily eating the pasta as he spoke which made Elio snort with laughter.

"You're not meant to talk with your mouthful." Elio teased, "Mafalda is kinda like an aunt, she's our housekeeper back in Italy. She doesn't usually come with us when we travel but she's here to keep an eye on me while my parents are busy."

Oliver nodded, he had never met someone that was rich enough to have their own housekeeper before and he figured anyone who did would be obnoxious and rude but not Elio. Elio was almost the exact opposite. The pair of them continued to chat for hours until Oliver noticed the time and quickly jumped up from Elio's bed.

"I have to go! Im sorry-" Oliver spoke, worry evident on his features as he scrambled towards Elio's door, offering no explanation before he rushed out of the house. He didn't look back as he began running back towards the farm, it was almost 10pm and Oliver had no idea what his aunt and uncle would do to him once he got back. His sudden exit only made Elio worry even more than he already was about the origins of Oliver's bruises. Over the course of the day he'd noticed subtle parts of Oliver's behaviour that wasn't quite normal; there was a nervousness about almost all of Oliver's actions and Elio could almost see the cogs going in Oliver's brain as he made a conscious effort to mull over every little thing he did. 

The house was silent when Oliver got back, the whole place in complete darkness and he assumed that everyone was sleeping. He tried the front door, glad to see that it had been left unlocked and entered the house, careful not to make too much noise. Halfway up the stairs Oliver was caught in the act, the lights turning on and he looked back down the stairs to see his Uncle. He had been waiting up for him and Oliver's chest grew tight. He was in for it now. 

Oliver didn't fight his fate, instead he walked back down the stairs, already looking like a scolded hound. There was barely any conversation between Oliver and his uncle, his punishment being entirely physical. He received ten lashing's on his bare back from his uncle's belt, some of the lashings splitting the skin but still Oliver didn't fight back. He was smart enough to know that it wouldn't get him anywhere; he promised himself that he wouldn't make a mistake like this again, no matter how good being around Elio made him feel. 

When Oliver lay down to sleep that night, he had to lay on his stomach, unable to wear a shirt since the blood from the welts on his back just seeped through it. Once again Oliver was torn, he'd been given an awful beating for just being out late and he didn't want to risk anyone finding out that he'd been hanging around with a boy. The pain coming from Oliver's wounds was almost unbearable as he lay there, tears rolling down his cheeks and yet even after all of this he still found himself thinking about the day he'd spent with Elio. Elio had shown him such kindness when Oliver had been somewhat standoffish around him. That's how Oliver eventually fell asleep; confused, in pain and thinking about the only person who had showed him complete kindness and asked for nothing in return. 


	3. three.

Days passed and Oliver had managed to keep his promised to himself and had stayed well away from Elio, though even if he wanted to go out he was in so much pain that it would prove difficult. He missed Elio as silly as it sounded, they barely knew each other and yet here Oliver was moping around after him. He wasn't angry at his uncle for what he'd done. Oliver had broken rules and deserved a punishment. He understood that, there was no point him being angry about it. The teenager had made peace with the way his family worked years ago; if he didn't want to punished then he shouldn't break the rules. It was his fault. 

Meanwhile, Elio had been worrying about Oliver ever since his abrupt exit from his house. It was obvious that Oliver had things going on at home and it just made Elio worry even more when he hadn't seen Oliver. It took everything Elio had for him not to go up to the farm and ask about Oliver, the only reason he didn't was because he was scared of getting his new friend into even more trouble. 

Annella, Elio's mother, had noticed a change in her son. He seemed different, sad even and like any good mother would she approached him. "Elio, is something wrong?" She asked, sitting down besides her son on the couch. 

"Nope, nothing." The boy sighed deeply, looking away from his mom. "Its stupid..."

"What is?" She asked, seeing how her son clearly needed to offload whatever was on his mind. 

"There's this boy-" He began though Annella quickly cut him off. 

"You're not being bullied are you?" 

"No! No, of course not. He's not like that. He's really nice..." Elio sighed deeply, looking down at his lap. "I like him, momma."

"Then what's the problem?" Annella asked, the Perlman's had no problem with it if Elio was gay or not. They just wanted their son to be safe and happy, they wouldn't stop him from living his life.

"Well for a start I don't think he likes me. And even if he did, he's got more important things going on in his life. He's always covered in bruises and he refuses to talk about it. I'm scared for him, mom. I don't know how I'm supposed to help him.." Elio had always had a huge heart, always wanting to fix everyone else's problems in life and he hated that he didn't know how to help Oliver. "He's different to anyone else I've ever met before. I haven't seen him since he ran away from me a few days ago, I haven't even seen him in town. I'm worried about him.."

"If you care about him then don't give up, Elio. He's clearly made an impression on you, you must've made one on him too. Perhaps he's just been busy recently? You'll see him again. Doesn't he have a phone?" 

Elio shook his head, sighing softly. "He had it taken off him before he came here for the summer and I can't go up to his house. I guess I'll just have to hope I bump into him." He spoke, moving to stand up. "Bye momma." 

Elio spent hours circling the town on his bike until he finally spotted Oliver's rusty old bike abandoned outside the grocery store. He jumped off his own bike and headed inside, smiling a little when he spotted Oliver down one of the aisles. 

"Hey Stranger." Elio greeted him, noticing that Oliver was wearing a thick sweatshirt despite how hot it was outside. "Did you get the freezer section mixed up with the Arctic or something, what's up with your sweatshirt?"

Oliver turned to look at Elio, a sheepish expression on his face. "Oh, hey.. sorry about running off the other day. I was late home and had to get back before I got into trouble."

Elio nodded a little at his explanation, "It's no problem, how about we hang out now?" He offered. 

Oliver sighed softly, "I can't. I've got to go fishing for my aunt." He saw the look of disappointment cross Elio's face and bit his lip a little. "Unless you wanted to come with me?" 

Elio's face lit up, he was beyond happy to have the opportunity to hang out with Oliver again. "I'll come. I just want to be with you." 

And with that Oliver took Elio with him to the lake, barely paying much attention to the other boy as he focused on fishing but Elio was paying close attention to Oliver. He noticed how dry Oliver's lips were, how he was clearly sweating a lot and how he was swaying a little as he tried to stand still. 

"Oliver, you should take a break." Elio spoke, from underneath the shade of a tree. "You're going to get heat stroke if you don't take that sweatshirt off. Why are you even wearing that thing when it's so hot out?" 

Oliver turned to look at him, shrugging a little as he set his fishing rod down. He knew that Elio was right, he felt like he was boiling under the scorching sun that was shining right down at him. He bent down and cupped his hands in the water, splashing his face in hopes that it would cool him down a little before he moved to lay besides Elio. He was careful to lay on his stomach, avoiding any pressure being put on his still tender wounds. 

"Oliver, did something happen the other right? When you ran home?" Elio asked, he'd never been one to beat around the bush and so he decided to be as direct as possible. "Your parents hit you, don't they? That's why you were covered in those bruises when we first met.."

Oliver's face quickly soured as Elio spoke and he shook his head quickly. "You're wrong. You don't know anything about me. What makes you think that you can talk like that?" He asked, looking at Elio with what could only be described as pure hate on his face. "You don't know my family. Back off, okay? You're just some weirdo kid that keeps following me around-" Oliver's rant seemed so sudden and harsh but he'd been bottling up his emotions for so long that it was only a matter of time before he did explode like this. 

Elio looked extremely small as Oliver berated him, his brows furrowed in confusion. He hadn't intended upon hurting Oliver, he just wanted to know the truth about his unexplained injuries. But Elio was scared and couldn't stop himself from retaliating, "You know what you are? You're a bully, just like your dad is!" 

Oliver didn't really register what he was doing until he had already pinned Elio against the ground, his fist raised ready to hit the other boy. He'd never been interested in violence before, it really wasn't in his nature and even now that he'd snapped he found that he couldn't hurt Elio. He dropped his hand, looking down into Elio's eyes and seeing the fear plastered on the boy's face. Instantaneously Oliver burst into tears, his head dropping against Elio's chest as he sobbed against him. 

Elio tenderly wrapped his arms around the bigger boy, holding him against him. "Hey, it's okay..." Elio cooed, trying to stop Oliver from crying but it appeared that he really needed this emotional outlet. Elio couldn't help but wonder when the last time anyone had ever held Oliver like this was. "Just let it out.."

It took Oliver a while before the tears stopped and yet he kept his head buried against Elio still, not wanting to face Elio now that he'd broken down right in front of him. He sniffled softly, "I'm sorry.." He whispered, heartbroken that he'd even thought about hurting Elio. His head was pounding from the heat and all the crying. All he wanted to do was lay there forever. It felt incredible to have someone holding him. 

Elio shushed him, gently running his fingers through Oliver's fluffy hair. "You don't need to apologise. You didn't hurt me." He spoke softly, he could tell that what Oliver needed more than anything was a friend and he was perfectly happy to be that person. "Olly, you're boiling.." He spoke, still worried about Oliver's body temperature from him wearing the sweatshirt. 

Oliver nuzzled against Elio some more, just wanting the comfort. "I can't take it off." He whispered in regards to his sweatshirt. "It hurts." He admitted, he'd put the sweatshirt on because it was thick enough for the blood not to seep through. His wounds were almost scabbed over but some of them were still bleeding and Oliver didn't want to risk anyone seeing them. 

Elio gently tugged at the sweatshirt, raising it over Oliver's head and gasping softly when he saw the wounds that Oliver possesed. "Oliver, these are awful.." He spoke softly. "Have you had these looked at properly? They look so sore.." He worried, Elio quickly began to feel like he was responsible for Oliver's injuries and he despised the thought of someone hurting Oliver so badly for something as simple as being out late. "Why do they hurt you?" 

Oliver pulled away from Elio's chest, looking down at Elio and biting his lip nervously. "You can't hate me if I tell you this, okay?" He waited for Elio to nod before he began to speak again. "I'm gay. My parents sent me here because they caught me making out with a guy. I'm sorry..." He sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears again as he apologised. Elio was the only good thing he had in his life here and he was scared to scare him away with his sexuality. 

Elio shook his head quickly, "There's no need to apologise. You've got nothing to be ashamed about. There's nothing wrong with being gay, you know that right? Your parents are wrong. Don't let their views make you feel ashamed of yourself, okay?" He spoke, still running his fingers through Oliver's hair. 

Elio's kind words brought the tears to Oliver's eyes and he just let himself relax against Elio, seeking the comfort that he hadn't experienced since he was a child. He didn't speak, not wanting to ruin the moment as they lay there together. Oliver doing his best to try and forget everything in the world besides Elio. 

They lay together for a while before Oliver figured that he had to head back, taking the fish he had caught back to the farm for dinner. Saying goodbye to Elio was hard and Oliver promised that he'd try his hardest to see him again soon. He ate dinner with his family before heading up to his bedroom, a little smile on his face as he thought about Elio. Elio hadn't judged him in the slightest for what he'd told him and Oliver was over the moon now that he had a real friend who knew the truth about him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's commented so far! I love reading everyone's comments and seeing your opinions on what has happened in the chapter. It means so much since this is the first fic I've ever written and I was so nervous about it. So thank you again! I hope you liked this chapter. The next chapter will be an exciting one, I promise!


	4. four.

At breakfast the next morning, Oliver felt quite happy after spending the previous day with Elio. He sat down to eat and noticed a flyer in the middle of the table. "What's this?" He asked as he picked the flyer up as ate. 

"There's a dance at the the town hall, they have one every summer for all the teenagers as a way of keeping them busy." Oliver's aunt began to explain. "We thought you might like to go?"

Oliver shrugged a little, having no interest in going to the dance especially since he didn't know anybody in the village. He was very aware of his uncle's eyes on him and turned his attention to look at him. 

"Don't you want to go and find yourself a girl to hook up with?" His uncle spoke casually, as if telling your nephew to hook up with some stranger was the most normal thing to do. "Maybe that's just what you need to get you out of this faggot phase you're in? A good pussy." 

Oliver visibly cringed at his words, he couldn't imagine a 'regular' teenage boy enjoying this conversation very much but it was even worse for Oliver. The thought of having sex with a woman made him nauseous, he wasn't interested in anything like that. The furthest he'd ever gone with a guy is making out and a very lazy blowjob, he wasn't exactly skilled in that department unlike most kids his age. Sex was just a big deal to Oliver because of his conflicting emotions regarding his sexuality, nobody wants to have sex with someone whose mind is on how much being gay is wrong. 

"I don't think that's what I need.." Oliver spoke softly, putting his spoon into his cereal bowl. He felt so uncomfortable. 

"You've got no choice. You're going to this dance and you're to find a girl to spend the night with, you hear me? I told your father I'd cure you of this disease you've got before the summer is over and what you need is a woman." He spoke harshly, Oliver's heart sinking at the thought of having to spend the night with a girl. His disgust evident on his face. "If you come home that night you won't be allowed inside, do you understand me Oliver?" 

The teenager nodded, "I understand." He mumbled, creeped out at what he was being told to do. 

There was no more talk of the dance until the day of it and in that time Oliver hadn't managed to see Elio for more than a few moments in the grocery store. He spent a little longer than usual getting ready, changing into black skinny jeans and a light blue button up since he didn't bring anything too formal with him, and spent a while styling his hair with gel. His Star of David necklace could be seen under his shirt since he hadn't buttoned it all the way to the top. He hoped that the other kids wouldn't be dressed too formally, he already didn't want to go and he didn't want to be ridiculed when he got there as well. 

His uncle drove Oliver to the dance, warning him in the car that he needed to find a girl to spend the night with, otherwise he'd have to sleep on the streets for the night. He even suggested that Oliver ply her with booze if he needed to and Oliver very quickly began to question what sort of man his uncle was. Oliver may have been gay but he always respected women. 

Apprehensively he entered the hall, seeing that it was packed with a bunch of other kids dressed not too dissimilar to him and he let out a small sigh of relief. Wading through the crowds of people, he headed towards the bar to get himself a drink, apparently nobody here cared about underage drinking. Oliver almost couldn't believe his luck when he spotted a familiar face at the bar. 

"Elio? What are you doing here?" The grin on Oliver's face was huge as he moved closer to his friend. "I thought your mom didn't want you going to things like this?" 

"She didn't want me to come but I remembered you saying that you'd be here." Elio smiled, passing Oliver a beer and holding one in his own hand. "I just wanted the chance to see you." 

"Well I'm really glad you're here. I thought I was just going to be stuck by myself all night." He spoke, looking over at the exit. "Wanna go somewhere a little quieter?" He hoped Elio would want to get out of there, he felt far too anxious inside the cramped room, especially with the pressure he'd had put on him to find a girl for the night. Elio sensed that something was putting Oliver on edge and happily followed him outside. 

They kept walking until they found a clearing in the woods and both boys sat down on the floor. "Are you going to tell me what was wrong in there? I've become awfully good at reading your facial expressions." Elio spoke, taking a sip of his beer.

"I can't go home tonight." Oliver sighed deeply, picking at the label on the beer bottle. "My uncle says I have to find a girl to have sex with tonight. He thinks that will turn me straight." He cringed, if it was so simple to be straight then Oliver was sure that he wouldn't be in this huge mess in the first place. 

Elio was in a shocked silence for a few moments, "That's awful. He really wants you to fuck some stranger?" 

Oliver nodded a little, his eyes fixed on the bottle as he fiddled around with it. "I'm so scared, Elio. I've never had sex before..how am I supposed to have sex with someone I don't even like?" He asked, his brows furrowed. 

"You don't have to. He can't force you to sleep with someone. I'm pretty sure that's illegal." Elio spoke softly. He felt awful for Oliver. 

"He said that if I don't find someone to hook up with then I've got to sleep out here." 

"No you don't. You can spend the night at my place. Tell him you found a girl if you have to. He won't ever know the truth and my parents really wouldn't care if you stayed the night." Elio offered, having found an alternative for Oliver. Even if he and Oliver would never get the chance to be together he wanted to help Oliver as much as he possibly could. 

Oliver's grin was like a Cheshire cat when he heard Elio's solution, eager to do anything that meant he wouldn't have to sleep with a stranger. "Seriously? You'd let me stay over?" He asked, his mood having shifted dramatically. 

"Of course I would." Elio smiled softly, moving to stand up. He offered his hand to Oliver to help him up. "Now come on, we can watch some movies together or something, anything that will put a smile on your big dumb face." He joked, squeezing Oliver's hand gently before he let go. 

The walk to Elio's house wasn't too long and they were there within fifteen minutes. Oliver was sent straight up to Elio's room while the younger boys grabbed them both a bottle of wine from the wine cellar, he knew his parents wouldn't care that they were drinking. The legal drinking age back in Italy was fourteen and Elio had shared plenty of drinks with his family. He smiled at how at home Oliver looked in his bedroom, passing him the bottle of wine before he sat down besides Oliver on the bed. 

The pair of them shared the wine, getting increasingly more and more merry but they were definity having a good time. It was a typical depiction of boys being boys, the pair of them laughing at the stupid comedy movie they were watching. 

"This movie is awful." Oliver laughed, nudging Elio playfully to get his full attention. 

Elio looked at Oliver, his cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol as he looked up into Oliver's eyes. Their gaze lingered upon each other for a moment or two before Elio reached his hands up to cup Olivers cheeks, leaning in slowly. It felt like an eternity before their lips met but once they did Elio never wanted to go back. As cliche as it sounded, kissing Oliver made Elio feel like time had stopped; his heart beating fast as Oliver's lips moved against his own. For Oliver everything just felt completely natural, like this was exactly what he was meant to be doing. He let his hands find their way to Elio's hips as he pulled the smaller boy on top of him, his hands slipping under the material of Elio's striped button up. They made out for a while before Elio pulled away, trying to catch his breath back but bursting into a fit of giggle which just made Oliver laugh too. There was no awkwardness between them, the whole thing having felt perfectly natural. 

"That's better than the movie, right?" Elio asked, still sat in Oliver's lap. 

"Definitely." Oliver nodded, pressing another gentle kiss to Elio's cheek. "So much better than the movie." 

Throughout the course of the rest of the evening, the two of them shared plenty more kisses, almost like they were unable to keep their lips off each other for much longer than a few minutes before they were kissing again. The pair of them making out until they eventually succumbed to sleep; Oliver's arms wrapped around Elio protectively as they drifted off. It was the safest and most loved Oliver had felt in forever and he couldn't imagine any other feeling as amazing as how he felt right then. 


End file.
